Apparatus for supplying turret or barbette guns with explosive charges.



No. 654,444. Patented lul A. T. DAWSON J. HRNE. PPRTUS FR FRSUPPLYNGTUBRET BR BRBETTE UNS WITH EXPLSVE.

CHARGES.

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

(ppunn mea Apr. a, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Patented luly 24, 190D. A.. T. DAWSON J. HRNE. APPARATUS FDR FORSUPPLYING TURRET 0R BAHBETTE GUNS WITH`EXPLOS|VE C H A R G E S(Application -led Apr. 2, 1900.)

2 Sheets-#Sheet 2l (No Model.)

IIIIIIJ lllllll UNITED STATES .ARTHUR TREVOR DAwsON, OE LONDON, ANDJAMES i-IOENE, OE DAEE'O'W- PATENT OFFICE.

IN-FURNESS', ENGLAND, A-SSIGNOBS TO THE' VICKERS, SONS t MAXIM, LIMITED,'OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.. l l I yAPPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING TURRET 0RIBARBETTEGUNS WITH EXPLOSIVE CHARGES'.

sPncrFIcArION forming part pf Letti-.s Patent ivo. 654,444-, dated .my24, 1900;

. Application filed April 2,1909.

To all 'whom it may concern: Beit known that we,-ARTHUR TREVOR DAW- SON,residing at 28 Victoria street, VVestminster, London, and JAMES HORNE,residngat Barrow-'in-Furness, in the'county of Lancaster, England,citizens of England, have .in-

vented a certain new and usefulApparatus for Supplying Turret orBarbette Guns with Explosive Charges, (for. which we have apio plied fora patent in GreatBritain, dated May 4, 18 99,No. 9,417,) of which thefollowing is a specification. I

Our invention relates to means for s uprplying a turret or barbette 'gunwith explosive x 5 charges, 'as we shall describe, referring to theaccompanying drawings.

Figures 1 andl are'v'ertical sections of the` upper and lower parts ofthe hoist and its trunkor shaft, these sections being taken on 2o' aplane at right angles to the axis of the gun. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of the lower part of the hoist and its shaft, taken on a plane'parallel to the axis of the gun. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectionalplans onthe lines 3 3 and 4 4 2 5 of Figs. l and l, respectively.

' Within a stationary tubular shield et, which extends some distancedown in the vessel, we provide a trunk'or-shaft b, which is attached `toand suspended from the turn-table c,on 3o'which the gun is mounted so`asto revolve with it. magazine, its lower end being guided in a ring d,fixedon the ioor of the magazine. On the lower part of the trunk isfixed theframing 3 5 e of a Winch, in which are bearings for a horizontal shaft f, worked-by reducing-gear from a spindle g, carrying ateach end a winchhandle. This spindle g is mounted eccentrically within asleeve h, which has its bearings 4o in the winch-frame and can be turnedby a handle z', so as to throw the -pinions on the spindle g out oforinto gear with the' wheels on the shaft f.

' In' the lower part of -the trunk b is fixed a motor-engine, which maybe a three-cylinder hydraulic engine j, as shown, or may be' an electricor other suitable motor, the shaft of which is connected through beveland reducing gear to the shaft f, the bevel-pinion k be- This trunk bextends down -to the Serial No. 115194. (No model.)

ing fitted to slide on a counter-shaft and provided --with a handle Z,so that it lcan be slid into or out of gear with the bevel-wheel 'on theshaft of the motor. Thus the shaft f can be worked either by the motoror by the winchhandles; On the shaft f are xed apair of .sprocket-wheels7i, which pass up-` the tru nk b and over guide'- working a pair'ofchains pulleys o, mounted in theupper part .of the trunk, in which thereis a partition p and an inclined iap q, closed by a spring. In two ofthe links of each chain are bearing/s for trunnions projecting from nearthe mouths of two'pairs of cylindrical vessels r, those of each pairbeing xed together.' The chains n are tightened when necessary bydrawing thel shaft f ldown by a screw si andlowering the axle of anintermedia-te wheelt in aslotted, bearing provided in the winch-frame.-

Throughthe side of the lower part of the trunk there is an opening u,through which the bottoms of the vessels r' project when they are l intheir lowest position, and on the opposite side of the trunk'there is alarger opening u, givingaccess to the mouths of the vessels i'. Theupper part of the trunk b is sloped in line with the flap q to a mouth,which is closed by 'a hinged cover fw.

The apparatus operates as follows: When I one pair ofthe vessels fr yarein their lowest position, as shown in Fig. l?, while the other pair arein their highest position, as shown in Fig. 1, then men in the magazinecharge the vessels each with half an explosive charge,

while men in the turret at one side of the gunopeningA the flap w cantake from the vessels "r the half charges which they have brought up.This being done,the shaftf and sprocketwheels are caused to Arevolveeither by the hand-gear or by the motor,and then the chains traveling upone side of the trunk b and downy 'claimlower part of saidy trunk andmeans for o perating the same, a' pair of sprocket-wheels mounted onsaid shafts on opposite sides of said trunk; a pair of chains meshingwith said charged, raised, emptied, and lowered to be charged again.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means weknow of carrying the same into practical effect, we

saidtrunkandin said extension around which said chains pass, and vesselsfor holding the In apparatus. for supplying a barbette or explosivecharges -pivoted to said-chains.'

turret gun with explosive charges, the combination with the turn-tableon which the gun is mounted, of a hoist-trunk secured to saidturn-table, extending down to the door of the magazine and having aninclined extension at its upper end, a longitudinal partition in djacentt'o said extension,the said partition providing lin said trunk two pas--sages, a normally-closed spring-actuated Hap pivoted to said partitionand extending over toand in line withthe rbottouiwall of said extensionfor cutting oi communication in one direction between said extension andone of said passages, rotary shafts mounted in the our hands in presenceofthe subscribing witmesses.A

'ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. A JAMES HORNE. Witnesses to the signature of theabovenamed Arthur Trevor Dawson:

GEO. H; BRIDGES, HENRY-KING.

named James Horne:

i W. H. ATKINSON, u HAROLD JMEB.

sprocket-Wheels, pulleysin the upper part of In testimony whereof wehave hereunto set i Witnesses to the signature@thehabove;

